Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation
The Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, filing Form 990-PF. Its 2025 grants supported charitable organizations in areas including Jewish community life, health care, education, arts and culture, media, and Holocaust education.
Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation gave $671K across 42 grants in 2025 (avg $16K), mostly in Massachusetts. 26% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $670,558
- +306.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 42
- +31.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $15,966
- +209.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $7,400
- New grantees (estimate)
- 26% first-time grantees (11 of 42, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (84% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 10 Rogers Street 818, Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: (617) 577-9691
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Temple Israel of Boston ($85K). Together the top 10 received $472K.
Grant Size Distribution
195 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 190 grants of 195 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Massachusetts organizations received 84% of grant dollars. Recipients in New York received 7%, those in Washington, DC received 4%, those in Pennsylvania received 3%, and those in Tennessee received 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 42 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation open to new grantees?
26%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 11 of 42 grantees (26%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $17K; repeat grants $16K. How we count
Medians: $7K first-time, $8K repeat.
- 40% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 506% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $111K (2022) to $671K (2025). In 2025 it made 42 grants totaling $671K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Temple Israel of Boston Boston, MA | To live judaism together through discovery, dynamic spirituality, and righteous impact. | $85,000 |
| Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston Boston, MA | To provide those in need with access to basic services and mental health care, fight antisemitism and jewish hate, create opportunities for people to connect with jewish life and israel, ensure our jewish organizations stay safe and secure, and much more. | $60,000 |
| Dana Farber Cancer Institute Brookline, MA | To provide expert, compassionate, and equitable care to children, adults, and their families, while advancing the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure, and prevention of cancer and related diseases. | $54,000 |
| Boston Symphony Orchestra Boston, MA | To foster and maintain an organization dedicated to the making of music consonant with the highest aspirations of the musical art, creating performance and providing educational and training programs at the highest level of excellence. | $50,000 |
| Brandeis University Waltham, MA | To support the pursuit of knowledge and its transmission from generation to generation | $50,000 |
| Wbur Boston, MA | To produce high-quality journalism and enriching experiences that foster understanding, connection and community for an expanding circle of people. | $42,000 |
| WGBH Boston, MA | To deliver compelling stories, experiences, and information to audiences wherever they are. | $40,358 |
| Musuem of Fine Arts Boston, MA | To house and preserve preeminent collections and aspire to serve a wide variety of people through direct encounters with works of art. | $31,000 |
| Mass General Hospital Boston, MA | To provide compassionate, research-infused care for generations to come | $30,000 |
| US Holocaust Memorial Museum Washington, DC | To teach the lessons of the holocaust, preserve the evidence, and amplify survivors' voices. | $30,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | $221,925 | $701,442 | $670,558 | 42 | $680,274 | $204,065 | $23,696 |
| 2024 | $479,524 | $93,696 | $181,575 | $165,100 | 32 | $166,635 | $78,972 | $32,374 |
| 2023 | $567,403 | $59,760 | $148,340 | $130,445 | 40 | $132,250 | $44,336 | $37,366 |
| 2022 | $655,983 | $93,548 | $131,887 | $110,700 | 36 | $112,325 | $76,681 | $44,561 |
| 2021 | $694,322 | $112,546 | $200,492 | $181,400 | 45 | — | $95,872 | $52,515 |
| 2020 | $782,268 | $84,117 | $166,040 | $144,025 | 39 | — | $63,616 | $50,832 |
| 2019 | $864,191 | $64,902 | $165,170 | $140,040 | 42 | — | $44,805 | $53,880 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $24K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied missions. For example, Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston describes its work as sustaining and enriching Jewish life in the Greater Boston community, while the Boston Symphony Orchestra says its mission is to make music and provide performance, educational, and training programs. Brandeis University describes its work as advancing research across the humanities, arts, and sciences and providing a broad liberal arts education.
Other 2025 recipients included Hebrew SeniorLife, which says it works to honor elders and support their independence and dignity, and Wellmet Project, which says it provides low-cost housing and assistance to deinstitutionalized psychiatric patients.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 42 grants totaling $670,558. Grants ranged from $500 to $85,000, with a median grant of $7,400. Among the largest were $85,000 to Temple Israel of Boston, $60,000 to Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston, $54,000 to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and $50,000 each to the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Brandeis University.
Other reported grants included $42,000 to WBUR, $40,358 to WGBH, $31,000 to the Museum of Fine Arts, and $30,000 each to Massachusetts General Hospital and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Nancy Raphael and Harry Raphael as trustees.
Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; 1 of 2 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Harry Raphael
Trustee
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
$4K (2020) → $16K (2025)
Nancy Raphael
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $16K, to Harry Raphael (Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation
How much does Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation give each year?
Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation gave $671K across 42 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $165K across 32 grants.
What is Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $7,400, and its average grant was $15,966, across 42 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation that year got $17K on average.
Where does Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation give grants?
Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 84% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (15 grants), New York, NY (6 grants), Newton, MA (3 grants) and Brookline, MA (2 grants).
Does Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 2% of Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 42) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?
Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Temple Israel of Boston ($85,000), Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston ($60,000) and Dana Farber Cancer Institute ($54,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 30% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
What does Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
How much is Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2025, Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $24K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-3491360. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS January 14, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 16, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 7, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 9, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS January 24, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/gerald-flaxer-charitable-foundation-morg_86b5b35b14a741dc82239bf40c410a56
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_043491360_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/gerald-flaxer-charitable-foundation-morg_86b5b35b14a741dc82239bf40c410a56},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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